Portfolio Production Project: Final Images

For the past few months I've been working on a project for my Photography degree called Portfolio Production. For this project I had to write my own brief to produce a portfolio of images on a chosen subject.

I wanted to create a series of documentary portraits focusing on local cosplayers but portraying them as themselves rather than as the characters they are portraying.

I initially set out to create a series of photos of cosplayer in there normal clothes looking into a mirror and seeing there reflection in costume. Initially I liked this idea but my tutors thought it was too complicated and that a simpler image would have more impact.

I wanted to try and do the series on location with the model in costume but in a normal situation. However, I didn't have enough models interested to fulfil the criteria of the brief. Another idea I wanted to try was to shoot a model in and out of costume in the studio and because this idea was far more popular I decided to pursue this avenue and ended up shooting 12 models. 

I shot this in my college's studio using a D610 camera. I decided to use a high-key set-up but after I experimented with a practice shoot I thought a mid-key set-up and black and white filter would set the two images apart and a graduated grey background would work better on the black and white image.

I then edited the photos into a series and submitted them as a portfolio. I thought I'd post some of my favourite photos here with Chris as The Riddler from DC Comics and Gwyneth as Harley Quinn from Batman: Arkham Knight.

Enjoy.  

My 2nd Shoot with Jordan

A few months ago, Jordan messaged me and asked if I fancied doing a shoot with him on that Friday afternoon. So I drove into Newcastle, picked him up, parked in Manors and we went for a wonder. Because he wasn't wearing any bright colours and the area we were shooting in was dominated by post war concrete architecture and because the weather was quite grey and miserable I decided to do the entire shoot just with my Nikon 7200 with a 50mm lens and a SB-700, for some of the darker shots in an old multi-story car park and abandoned shopping centre.

Considering how this shoot was quite vaguely planned I'm really pleased and a little surprised and how many great photos we left with. There's even a few that I am considered adding to my portfolio and exhibiting in London later this year. 

I'm looking forward to working with Jordan again. I've just done a shoot with him and another male model in Newcastle and I've got a few themed ideas in mind for him which I am looking forward to planning.

My Last Shoot of 2015

Here are some of my favourite photos from my very last shoot of 2015. It also probably my luckiest shoot of the year and a candidate for the wettest shoot of the year. 

This shoot came about when Sarah (the model) told me she was helping  her friend, Isla (the makeup artists) with a college project, and she asked me if I photography her.

We had planned to shoot but had to cancel twice because of the weather and when I was hoping it would be third time lucky there was a problem as I had tickets to see Star Wars in the morning and I couldn't get in contact with the girls in the afternoon. So we ended up shooting in the dark in December when it was bitterly cold and constantly drizzling.

Lucky we went to a local park which had a convenient bandstand which I used as a big mirror to bounce my speedlight off to light Sarah, as shown in the photos above. We then retired to Isla's house and got a few more photos in her garden and front room, as shown in the photos below.

Because of all this I was really surprised by how brilliant the photos were. But I think we pulled together, gave it our all and really pulled it out of the bag and I really pleased with the results.

I am really looking forward to working with Sarah again, hopefully on my Portfolio Production project and I've been brainstorming a few ideas for a makeup shoot with Isla.

Emma + Kate

 Here are some of my favourite photos from my shoot with Emma and Kate in Leazes Park in the centre of Newcastle. This was quite a spontaneous shoot that I really enjoyed and resulted in some brilliant images. 

I'd already worked with Emma 2 years previously and the photos I took were some of my best to date. So naturally I leapt at the chance to work with her again. I hadn't worked with Kate before but she had been on my radar for a while and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to work with her. 

I've included some of my favourites photos from the shoot which I took using my Nikon D7100 with a 50mm lens using only natural light. It was a little cloudy but quiet light and even. The park was fairly empty and we managed to get loads of photos at the gates, the promenade and amongst the trees.

Overall I am really pleased with this shoot but wish I had more opportunities  to work with these two brilliant, cool and creative models but as they are both at university now, my changes are a little slim at the moment. I would really like to shoot them in these outfits in an urban scenario or maybe  we could try a more innocent look next time.

Behind the Scenes: Tattoo Joe and The Kream Vixens

A few weeks ago I took some Behind the Scenes photos of a video shoot for Tattoo Joe and The Kream Vixens at a bar in a converted railway arch in Gateshead. 

It was a beautiful location and a brilliant experience although I did feel like a fish out of water. I was just wandering around like an idiot surrounded by some gorgeous scantily clad ladies but I suppose there must be worse ways to spend a Wednesday night. 

I met some brilliant models that I'm hoping to work with in the future. I've already done a studio shoot with Corrie (the young lady in a blue tie) and hopefully she'll be helping me reinvigorate my Bad Blood idea. All in all it was a new experience and a productive evening.

FireFox Cosplay

It seems like it's been ages since I've posted anything, but between starting the second year of my degree, Halloween cosplay shoots, helping redecorate several rooms in my house and a growing addiction to the Witcher 3; it's completely slipped my mind.

So as it's about time I did something about that, I thought I'd posted some of my favourite images from one of my latest, strangest and best cosplay shoots. 

Here is Little Rascal (check out her Facebook page) as Firefox (the web browse logo). This was taken in a hidden hollow in Jesmond Dene, that we reached by clambering down a muddy set of stone steps, a few days before Halloween. These photos are from the start of the shoot when I was using a Nikon D3200 with a 50mm lens and a speedlight (reflected on a convenient cliff wall). In the later 2 shots I had to climb up a moss covered cliff to get the shot. I later switched to a studio light and battery pack for some dramatic flash shadow shots but I wasn't as happy with those shots.

At the end of the shoot I was generously splattered with mud as well as cold and tired. Although due to her outfit I think Little Rascal would've been a bit colder than me so I can't really complain but I'm really pleased with the photos so I think we'd both say it was worth it.

I'm now planning a Harley Quinn (Arkham Asylum version) cosplay shoot with this beautiful lady so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Katy in the Studio

These are two of my favourite photos from any Group Shoot at Harbour Studio, featuring the gorgeous Katy Baker. I went to this shoot primarily to meet and shoot Katy as I had been following her work for a while and loved her cheeky smile and curvy figure and I've got to say she was an utter delight to shoot and I really need to do an one-on-one shoot with her.

She's done some amazing work and I really don't think I've done her justice with the pictures I've got, but I've just got to use that as motivation to do something even better next time. Fingers crossed I'll be shooting her in some custom Batgirl latex and I've got a ton of other ideas for her.

I hope you like the pictures and keep your eyes peeled for more.